In a groundbreaking study published in Frontiers in Psychology, researchers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem have unveiled how the prolonged multifront conflict in Israel profoundly affects the fundamental rights and daily experiences of adolescents. Moving beyond traditional mental health assessments common in conflict zones, this research critically examines the broader spectrum of children’s rights — including personal safety, freedom of expression, equality, access to reliable information, and social participation. The insights reveal a far-reaching impact of war that goes beyond physical protection, underscoring an urgent need for policies that recognize the essential role rights play—even amid crises.
The study, led by researchers Yonat Rum, Erez Milsthen, Heba F. Zedan, and Tali Gal, meticulously documents adolescents’ lived experiences during the ongoing war, focusing on nuances often lost in conventional trauma discourse. While physical safety measures like access to shelters and meeting immediate needs remain largely intact, the investigation highlights the erosion of internal psychological safety among youth. Approximately 20% of surveyed adolescents disclosed encounters with violence, most notably verbal harassment within school environments, illuminating the war’s corrosive effects on everyday social interactions.
Dissecting the social fabric, the research exposes a prevailing “fear of the other” that deeply colors adolescents’ worldviews. Hebrew-speaking youth reported actively avoiding Arab neighborhoods and a wide range of interpersonal interactions with Arabs because of perceived security threats. Conversely, Arabic-speaking adolescents expressed apprehension regarding police violence and the risk of arbitrary arrest, which significantly curtails their freedom of expression. This dual-sided fear fosters a climate of segregation and mistrust, exacerbating intercommunal tensions at the formative stages of identity development.
One particularly illuminating aspect concerns the disruption in educational continuity that disproportionately impacts Hebrew-speaking students. Teachers’ repeated absences due to reserve military duties have led to substantial staff turnover, destabilizing educational environments just when consistency is most needed. Arab schools conversely showed more stability during this period, underlying complex socio-political dynamics influencing educational infrastructure amid conflict. Such disruption undermines academic progress and compounds the psychological strain experienced by students already grappling with a wartime reality.
The research emphasizes the resilience that adolescents demonstrate amidst adversity, spotlighting the central role that families play in information dissemination and emotional processing. Parents are overwhelmingly regarded as the most trusted and reliable sources of news, providing a crucial buffer against the often anxiety-inducing influx of social media content. However, this dynamic is not without its challenges. The study uncovers a critical disconnect between parents’ perceptions and adolescents’ reported realities, particularly relating to freedom of expression. Parents tend to overestimate the degree to which their children feel safe and uninhibited in voicing opinions and emotions, a gap amplified by the stresses of conflict.
Adolescents recounted fears of social repercussions—ranging from shaming and peer exclusion to damage to interpersonal relationships—that inhibit open dialogue about their feelings and political views. Such social sanctions create an underground culture of self-censorship, depriving youth of safe spaces to articulate and process their experiences. These findings highlight a dire need for educational institutions to foster inclusive environments where young people can engage meaningfully with current events and their own emotional responses without fear of ostracism.
Compounding these challenges, Arabic-speaking youth conveyed significantly greater constraints on freedom of expression compared to their Hebrew-speaking counterparts. This disparity is emblematic of broader systemic inequalities and societal power imbalances that are intensified in periods of conflict. Despite these considerable barriers, some adolescents voiced a strong desire for their perspectives to be recognized and for schools to provide platforms for open discussion, signaling latent demands for participatory rights and recognition that remain unmet.
Interestingly, the study notes a paradoxical increase in adolescents’ well-being scores toward the end of 2025 compared to the earlier phases of conflict. This uptick might suggest signs of adaptive resilience, a psychological mechanism by which individuals accommodate ongoing stressors to maintain functional stability. However, lead researcher Yonat Rum cautions against misinterpreting this adaptation as genuine healing. She warns that normalizing fundamentally abnormal circumstances risks obscuring the urgent need for comprehensive rights-based protections to address the deep-rooted trauma and systemic challenges faced by youth during war.
These findings serve as a compelling call to action for policymakers and educational leaders. The researchers advocate for strengthened violence-prevention programs embedded within schools, alongside integrated mental health supports designed to address the complex layers of trauma experienced. Furthermore, creating safe, inclusive environments where youth from diverse backgrounds can exercise their rights to participation and freedom of expression emerges as a critical strategy for building resilience and fostering social cohesion.
Importantly, this research stresses that meaningful insight cannot be derived solely from adult perspectives. It underscores the necessity of directly engaging children and adolescents to capture authentic accounts of their lived experiences. Such an approach reveals critical discrepancies between adult assumptions and youth realities, emphasizing that policies must be informed by the voices of those most impacted to design interventions that truly meet their needs and uphold their rights.
Chair in Child and Youth Rights, Tali Gal, articulates this paradigm shift poignantly: protecting and promoting children’s rights is not a luxury to be deferred during emergencies but an essential framework empowering youth to navigate trauma and actively participate as societal members. This repositioning of rights as foundational, rather than supplementary, redefines how we understand children’s needs in conflict—a perspective crucial for the development of effective humanitarian and educational responses.
Ultimately, the study reveals the multilayered consequences of war on Israeli adolescents’ rights and well-being—illuminating the urgent need to bridge the gaps between physical security, psychological safety, social equality, and the essential freedoms that enable young people to survive and thrive. As such, it offers a critical lens for international actors and domestic institutions alike to recalibrate their approaches to child protection in conflict settings, ensuring that the voices of youth inform a rights-centered roadmap for recovery and resilience.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: Children’s rights and needs during war: the case of adolescents in Israel
News Publication Date: 2-Mar-2026
Web References: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1719621
Keywords: Human rights, Adolescents, War
